The Castaway Hotel - 8 - 36. Chapter 36 - A Few Surprises

We spent the rest of Saturday getting settled in and didn’t do much, except investigate our immediate surroundings. We discovered what was close by and talked about things we might want to do the next day, before we turned in for the evening.

Although I was a little worried about Andrew, it turned out that Barry and Jesse were eager to assist him. Unbeknownst to me, they had even volunteered to help him take a shower. They covered his cast with one of the heavy-duty trash bags I’d brought along, taped it securely in place and then took turns holding on to him, while the other helped Andrew wash.

As it turned out, that’s what they were doing this when I went to see if I could do anything for Andrew. I knocked on their door and Pat answered. When I inquired where the boys were, he told me they were in the bathroom, so I went over and knocked on that door. They asked who it was, and after I told them, they told me to come in. As I entered, I saw the three of them were in the shower and two boys had Andrew’s situation well under control, so I just told them I came by to see how they were doing. They didn’t want me to leave right away, so I chatted with them briefly, before I returned to my room.

Sunday morning, I got everyone up, so we could go to church. I was slightly concerned about Carlos and Barry, since they belonged to a different denomination than we did, but they said they didn’t have any problems with going with us. Other than the fact that I noticed them crossing themselves at various times, they felt the service wasn’t that different from what they were used to attending with their parents. They said except for kneeling and crossing themselves, the biggest difference was that there weren’t as many people involved in the service and those who were didn’t all dress up in robes.

After church, Jake and I took everyone out for brunch, before we went back to the hotel and changed into our swimsuits, so we could spend some time at the beach. Of course, I coated or had the other boys cover each other in a thick coating of sunscreen, since I didn’t want any of them to burn. Barry was a particular concern, since he was so fair skinned, so I applied his sunscreen personally, before I did the same to Jesse. After that, I kept an eye on them, to make sure they weren’t turning a crispy red.

We lay out in the sun and played in the surf for a couple of hours, but I didn’t allow Andrew to go into the ocean. First of all, he didn’t want to put the trash bag over his cast to keep it dry, because he said it would get too hot and he thought it would make him look weird. Although we tried, we could not think of another way to protect his cast, so that pretty much determined he had to stay out of the water. Besides that, even if Andrew had agreed to use the trash bag, I was concerned the cast would make him unsteady in the surf and he’d fall over whenever a wave hit him. I was worried he wouldn’t be able to right himself quickly enough if that happened, which meant there was a possibility he could drown. Of course, I could have made sure others were with him, so they could help him out if that happened, but it was just something else we’d have to be ready for.

Now that it had been determined he couldn’t go in the ocean, I made Andrew stay on the beach with me. I opted to remain out of the water too, since Andrew had to, even though Jake offered to take turns sitting with him. Although that would have worked, I felt it would be best if I was willing to endure the same restriction as Andrew, so he wouldn’t feel as if he were the only one suffering. Even though Andrew told me I didn’t have to do this, I think he appreciated that I did.

We stayed at the beach for quite a while and only decided to end it when the boys began to let me know they were getting hungry. At that point, we returned to our rooms, so we could clean up and change, before we went in search of a suitable location.

When we returned, Jesse wanted me to come back to their room with them. It seemed important to him, although I wasn’t sure why, but I joined the boys and went to their room. It turned out that he just wanted me to sit with him for a while, which I did. He sat on my lap and let me know how happy he was, and once he was satisfied, I began chatting with the others as well. I asked Dustin and Pat how this arrangement was working out for them and they seemed fine with it. As we talked, the three younger boys began to strip off their swimsuits and dry their bodies right in front of us. Obviously, this wasn’t a problem for them, so I continued chatting with the others. Both Dustin and Pat assured me the situation was fine, so I thanked them for doing this and allowing Jake and I some time alone. They just grinned and confirmed it was no problem, before I went to clean up as well.

After dinner, we walked around one of the local malls, since the boys thought it would be good to check out what it was like. They wanted to compare it to our hometown mall and others we’d been to, to see how it stacked up. They also mentioned it would be a good place to check out the young people in the area, since the mall is also the place where most of the younger crowd seems to hang out.

Rather than carrying Andrew around the whole time, I went to the security office and signed out a wheelchair for him to use. Then Barry and Jesse took turns pushing him in it. I was going to do it, but they both insisted they wanted to do it instead, so after I got them to promise they wouldn’t fool around, horseplay or do any racing with it, I agreed. Andrew seemed pleased they wanted to do this for him and was eager to enjoy his free ride, so we set out.

As we walked around, I kept an eye on my group, just to make certain there weren’t any problems. As I observed them, I noticed most of the boys were spending a greater share of their time checking out others passing by, rather than looking at the merchandise the mall had to offer.

After we grew tired of wandering around, the boys indicated they wouldn’t mind going to a movie. Since there was a cinema complex in the mall, we checked out what was playing and ended up splitting into three groups. Andrew, Jess and Barry wanted to see the same movie Jake and I were planning to go to, so I agreed. I wasn’t certain if they actually wanted to see this particular movie or if they just wanted to be with us. Either way, they followed behind us, as the family split up and took off for the various theaters. I left Andrew’s wheelchair at the ticket office, since they agreed to watch it for us, and then carried him inside. He probably could have walked, but I was worried about him navigating the stairs inside, since the theater had stadium seating.

After placing Andrew in his seat, Barry took a seat on one side of him and Jesse on the other. Then Barry surprised me by indicating he wanted me to take the seat next to him. I did as he requested and Barry used this time to thank me again for including him on this trip. He said he really liked being with Andrew and he and Jesse were also becoming close, but he also made sure to let me know he liked the rest of our family too. Hearing him say that he and Jesse were getting along helped to relieve me of another of my concerns.

In response, I told Barry I was glad his parents had allowed him to join us and hoped he could spend more time with our family in the future. This seemed to please him, since he nodded and smiled after I said this, and then we settled in to watch the upcoming attractions.

About half way through the movie, there was a fairly scary scene. Other than jumping slightly, I didn’t think much about it, until I felt Jesse wiggling his way onto my lap. I guess the scene had scared him more than the others, so he sought the comfort and protection I could offer him. I eagerly pulled him into place, wrapped my arms around him and then we watched the rest of the flick in that fashion.

When the movie ended, we went to the lobby and I put Andrew back in his wheelchair, while we waited for the others to meet up with us. All the movies got out within fifteen or twenty minutes of each other, so we didn’t have long to wait. Once we were all together again, we started off for the hotel, but first we stopped for drinks and a small snack. I hoped by doing so it would hold the boys over until morning.

When we reached the hotel, the three boys asked Jake and I if we’d spend some time with them, before they went to bed. Although I was uncertain as to why they had made this request, especially since we had all been together during the movie, Jake and I agreed to accompany them. We sat and chatted for a while, but then they let us know they wanted to roughhouse a bit, before they went to sleep. Over the next several minutes, Jake and I ended up wrestling with the boys, and tickling them intermittently.

At one point during this, Andrew and Jesse found a way to pull Dustin and Pat into the activity as well. Dustin was eager to horseplay with his younger brothers, but Pat was slightly more reserved. That was until the three boys and Dustin all attacked him and gave him little choice. After they had been actively involved for a few minutes, the five of them turned on Jake and I. We frolicked about for another few minutes, before everyone started to get tired and ready to quit. Almost as soon as we stopped, the three youngest stripped down to their underwear and climbed in to bed. They wanted Jake and I to tuck them in, so we wrapped the bedding around them and kissed them goodnight on their foreheads. We also bid Dustin and Pat sweet dreams before we left and all of them seemed very content and ready for sleep.

It was really nice that Jake and I got to spend some time alone after that, although I was fairly certain we wouldn’t be the only ones being intimate tonight. Although there were two couples in most of the other rooms, I doubted that would deter them. Once the lights were out and they were in their separate beds, I was sure many of them would lose their inhibitions and do what they desired. I’m pretty sure it happened in nearly everyone room, except for the one shared by Dustin, Pat and the three youngest. Although I suspected Andrew and Barry might have done something minor, I was fairly certain nothing more than that happened. This was because they knew Jesse couldn’t be involved, but I also suspected they weren’t keen about the older boys knowing what they were up to. I was fairly confident they would wait until the cruise before doing anything more than some discrete touching.

The next morning, the weather wasn’t as nice as it had been the day before, so after we ate breakfast, we went back to our rooms for a short time, before going down to check out the hotel’s pool. It was quite a large and a more than adequate facility, so the boys quickly made themselves at home and took over the place. They did all kinds of things in the pool, which included playing an assortment of water games and doing some racing, but they also spent time out of the water. They would sit in small groups at the collection of tables and chatted about various topics. They would constantly move from one group to another and most of them even spent time with Jake and me too. I believe this was because they didn’t want us to feel left out, but regardless of their reasons for doing it, Jake and I enjoyed our time with them and appreciated their concern for us, as well.

I was remaining out of the water again, so I could stay with Andrew, but it seems he was feeling guilty about me doing so this time. He began to urge me to swim as well and said he’d be fine. When I hesitated, Andrew suggested Barry or Jesse could stay with him while I swam, but was adamant that he didn’t want me to miss out, just because he was hurt. I told him that was sweet, but unnecessary, however it did not end his mild protest. Since I didn’t want him to feel guilt about being the cause for my staying out of the pool, I did take a dip with Jake, while Barry and Jesse stayed with Andrew. They promised they wouldn’t leave until I returned, so I felt free to indulge myself.

After a few hours of being at the pool, we went back to our rooms, where we dried off and changed. We wouldn’t be going out for lunch for another hour, so the boys spent some of this time trying to get more detailed information out of Jake and myself, about where we were going or what we were going to do on the cruises. We weren’t about to tell them what they wanted to know, which they sort of expected, so they switched gears.

Suddenly, they wanted to know what cruise lines we were going on, so I figured they thought they could go online somewhere and research what cruises they offered. Being on to them, I gave them the name of a different cruise line, one that I knew didn’t go anywhere near where we would be. I know it sounds cruel and sneaky, but I realized they wouldn’t quit until I gave them something, so I slipped them a red herring. Damn, if that isn’t an odd saying, but I do happen to know where it came from. I’m not sure if you’re interested in finding out, but if you are, I will tell you briefly.

The English were notoriously big on foxhunts and trained dogs to be able to sniff out the fox. As part of testing the dogs to see if it could stay on the scent of a fox, the trainer would drag a dead herring across the fox’s trail. Since a herring turns red after it’s dead, hence the phrase about following a red herring, meaning the dogs were misled and following the wrong trail.

After lunch, we noticed the weather had cleared up and it was actually quite a warm afternoon. Seeing it was nice out now, many of the boys wanted to lie on the beach and spend time in the ocean again. However, after we were all down on the beach, the boys suddenly remembered Andrew wasn’t able to do as much as they were and began to question what they could do to make the situation better for him. That was until Dustin scooped Andrew up in his arms, carried him out into the ocean and dunked him in the water.

Oh, don’t worry! Dustin did this and still kept Andrew’s cast above the waterline. Yes, the cast did get slightly damp from the spray, but nothing serious, and Andrew was pleased to cool off in this fashion. He was especially grateful that Dustin had done this for him and it was just another of those thoughtful things the boys often do for each other. Dustin’s considerate act also left a particularly deep impression on Jesse and Barry, so Dustin became an instant hero of sorts. I hate to admit it, but he had done something that hadn’t even crossed my mind, since I’d also wrestled with how to improve Andrew’s situation. I have to give Dustin credit, because he had come up with a solution that not only pleased Andrew, but also drew the two of them even closer.

I was somewhat surprised Sammy wasn’t hovering over Andrew as if he were an overprotective mother, but I guess he’d finally accepted the fact that Andrew was growing up and could take care of himself or select whom he wanted to help him. Besides, Sammy was also a little distracted. He was so focused on Ted that nothing else seemed to faze him. This fact didn’t bother either Andrew or I, as we were glad to see Sammy getting on with his own life and putting past events behind him too.

On our way back from dinner, some of the older boys informed me they wanted to spend some time checking out the nightlife and clubs in the area. At first, I was a little concerned about their safety, but after realizing quite a few of them wanted to do this and they were going to stick together, I granted permission for those eighteen and older to go. Hurriedly, Ricky, Danny, Brandon, Dustin, Kevin, Vinnie, Shannon, Nick, Pat, Cole and Carlos huddled up and discussed what they were going to do. They agreed to check out the establishments within walking distance of the hotel, but before they left I warned them we’d be getting up fairly early the next morning, so they shouldn’t stay out late. They said they understood and quickly disappeared from sight.

Trey was also old enough to join them, but he didn’t want to go without Dion. Since Dion didn’t make the age cutoff, Trey stayed back with the rest of us. As those of us that remained together made our way through the hotel lobby, I spotted something I thought might prove interesting to do. After asking the remaining boys to stay put for a few minutes, Jake and I walked over to the concierge and asked a few questions. Satisfied with his responses, I told the boys to follow me and led them off to a small lounge. After being seated and ordering appropriate drinks, we settled in and waited for the show to begin.

I had no idea about what to expect or if the boys would even find this interesting, but I felt it was better than going back to our rooms and watching television for the rest of the evening. As it turned out, it was fortuitous that I had noticed the poster announcing this event. The hotel had hired a couple of acts to entertain their guests for the week and I had spoken to the concierge to get some information about these performers, to see if they were appropriate for the boys to attend. I also wanted to make sure it was all right to take the boys there, since drinks were also being served, and I was told that it was a family setting and my sons would be welcome.

The first act was a magician, who was quite good, but his tricks weren’t anything out of the ordinary. He did a couple of card tricks, made some things disappear, including his assistant, and pulled a few objects out of thin air. Just when the boys were beginning to get bored, the magician called a volunteer up to the stage. Although it wasn’t one of us, we had a good time watching as the magician picked the guy’s pockets, without the volunteer realizing what was taking place. That was definitely the best part of his act and gave us all a few laughs, especially when the guy went to return to his seat. Before he left the stage, the magician handed him his watch, wallet and belt, which left the guy wondering how the magician had ended up with those items in the first place.

The second act was a pair of quick-change artists and we were totally amazed by what we saw. After walking out and introducing themselves, the man picked up a five-foot rod, which was attached to a long piece of cloth. As he hurriedly walked around the woman, the cloth formed a barrier we couldn’t see past. When he stopped and the cloth fell to the floor, we could see the woman had changed from the white dress we had first seen her in and was now wearing a completely different outfit, which was red. It had only taken a few seconds for this to happen, so we couldn’t figure out how she had accomplished it, since we saw no other items anywhere about.

As we continued to watch the woman, the man picked up the rod and began walking with it again, but this time he did it so it blocked us from seeing him. When he stopped and the cloth fell to the floor again, we discovered he had changed his tux from the black one he had started in and was now in one that was white. While we were trying to figure out how he had done that, he had the lady step into a hoop, which was attached to a long, cloth bag. After he lifted it up, until it was over her head, he let it drop and we could see her again, but now she was wearing a short yellow outfit. They followed this by igniting several devices that released all kinds of confetti and streamers, which blocked our view of the woman. When things settled down again, she was now wearing a blue outfit.

To say the least, we were amazed and had no idea how they had accomplished any of this, but there was more. The woman then pushed a rather large tube onto the stage, which was large enough for the man to crawl through. We watched as he entered from one end, and when he emerged from the other, he was now wearing a red tux, and not the white one he had entered in. He only had enough time to crawl through the tube and wasn’t in there long enough to change, so we were baffled by how he’d done it.

If that weren’t enough, the man picked up the rod with the long piece of cloth attached to it that he had used when the show first started and circled around the lady again. When he stopped and the cloth lowered, she was now dressed in green. We were all still watching her intently, when a whole bunch of balloons began to fall from the ceiling, and by the time they all hit the floor and we could see her again, she was once again dressed in the white outfit she had started the evening in.

To say the least, the boys, Jake and I were all very impressed and clapped loudly when they bowed, signifying their act had concluded. It had been a very entertaining affair and the boys were all glad we had stopped in to see it.

From there, we went back to our rooms and I had to make sure the youngest were all settled in for the evening, since there roommates were out on the town. It worked out, since Jesse, Andrew and Barry wanted Jake and I to come to their room and say goodnight to them, before they went to sleep. We quickly agreed to do this and kissed each of them on their foreheads and tucked them in, before we went back to our room.

The following day, Tuesday, I had a couple of things planned. After getting the boys up early and making sure they were fed, we set off for our first destination. I was taking them to Gator Park, in the Everglades, for an airboat ride. One good thing about having such a large family is that we qualify for group rates when we go to many of these places. Even though it’s not much of a savings, every little bit helps.

As we started out on the airboat, I was immediately grateful it had turned out to be such a lovely day. For the next 45-minutes, we rode over the swampy terrain, filled with sawgrass that grew quite tall. It was quite refreshing as the wind blew our hair and cooled us off, so the ride proved to be very enjoyable. I was also quite surprised that the boat didn’t scare away the animals, since we were able to spot a couple of gators in the water and a few more sunning themselves. We also saw a few birds wading about, so it must be they didn’t know there were alligators lurking nearby.

After the ride ended, we watched the wildlife show the park offered, during which a man wrestled an alligator. The gator was quite large, so seeing him do this made a profound impression on the younger crowd. Seeing this guy struggle with the gator kind of reminded me of when we horsed around with the boys, but this guy only had one alligator to deal with.

Once the guy finished with the gator, we were told those of us that wanted to would be able to hold a baby alligator. A few of the boys were brave enough to take this opportunity, but most were satisfied just seeing the gators from a distance. However, the three youngest were among those that wished to hold the baby gators, but I didn’t think that was a good idea. The gators were young, but weren’t really tiny. They were a couple of feet in length, and still fairly powerful for their size, so I talked Andrew, Jess and Barry into settling to touch one, while one of the older boys held it. To my amazement, Pat was the one who offered to do this for him, so I guess he was beginning to feel close to these three as well.

As we were leaving, we passed the Gator Park restaurant. Even though I hadn’t planned to eat there, that changed when some of the boys noticed the featured items on their menu. These included fried gator tail platters, so the boys were curious to see what gator tasted like. After ganging up on me and begging for me to change my plans, I gave in and we dined there instead. There were enough other things on the menu for those who weren’t as adventurous, such as burgers and sandwiches, so I felt everyone could find something they liked.

Actually, I had everyone order something other than the gator tail, and then I ordered a couple of platters for them to share, along with some frog’s legs and catfish. This way, everyone could sample those items and still have something to fill them up, if they didn’t like the other items. I know this is going to sound cliché, but we all agreed the gator tail and frog’s legs tasted like chicken, and the catfish wasn’t as mild as many of them were hoping.

After we finished there, I took the boys to Jungle Island. This is an animal park that contains many different species, so I thought they might enjoy a stop there. We started out by checking out the birds first, which included Macaws, parrots, ostriches and African penguins, along with several other species. From there, we went to see the mammals, which feature a Liger, which is the offspring of a lion and a tiger. They also had a rare white tiger, along with kangaroos, llamas and others from that genus.

From there, we went to see the reptiles, which didn’t interest the boys as much, since we’d seen many of these in the natural settings. Besides alligators, they also had a crocodile, and we discussed the differences between them. We also saw a rather large python, a Gila monster and a chameleon, along with a few others. However, I saved what I thought was the best for last.

Our final stop was to see the primates, which are probably the most intriguing, since they are the closest to being human. They are often comical in their antics and the boys enjoyed the time they spent watching orangutans, baboons, lemurs, gibbons, spider monkeys, capuchins, and the most entertaining of all, the chimpanzees. We really had quite a good time there, but I think Andrew, Barry and Jesse most of all. In fact, I think this was the first time Jesse had seen animals like this up close, so he spent quite a bit of his time trying to get my attention, so he could point to the interesting things he was viewing. It was an absolute pleasure to see him so excited and having such a great time.

After going back to the hotel, so we could clean up and change, I took everyone to the Mai Kai, for dinner. This place features a Polynesian dinner show, but the place was intriguing from the moment we entered and crossed over the wooden plank bridge. This led into an authentically recreated Polynesian village, complete with tiki torches and a thatched roof. There were numerous rooms, with each one representing a different region, and we took up an entire room, which overlooked a waterfall. When we were presented with the menus, we discovered they served both Cantonese and American style food, which included seafood and steaks. Therefore there was more than enough for everyone to find something they wanted and we definitely enjoyed the meal.

While we ate, we were entertained by their nightly 45-minute long presentation, the Islanders Revue. This is performed by native Polynesian dances, dressed in very colorful costumes, and they are very good. The maidens and warriors, as they are referred to, use dance to recreate what various aspects of life is like in the islands. They do this by performing the wedding dance, which is very alluring and seductive, and the Samoan Fire and Knife dance, which is extremely energetic and requires great precision, so the performers don’t injure themselves or each other. All in all, it was a very well done and entertaining and the boys were very impressed by what they saw.

Once the show ended, we returned to our rooms and chilled out for the rest of the night. I wanted them to get rested up, since we’d be leaving on the cruise the following afternoon.